This post is a long time coming. How long ago did I complete the 21 Day program? 2 months ago! Sheesh! I was not on the ball then was I?

21 Day Fix was released back in February. I honestly hadn’t heard much about it until it was released, and then one of the fitness groups I am in started blowing up with how great it was. The ladies were talking about workouts and how they followed the meal plan.

It was the meal plan that really intrigued me. My nutrition is definitely the harder part of a healthy lifestyle for me, although I have gotten significantly better. I started asking questions, which had me even more interested in trying it out. So, on the last day of the promo I sale I went for it. I opted for the Challenge Pack, which came with both the program and Shakeology, a product I had also been thinking about trying but wasn’t completely sold on. This particular promo allowed me to purchase one month of Shakeology with the program for only $10 more than the normal price of Shakeology. I was on it.

Before I go on about my experience here’s a brief overview of the program straight from Beachbody:

SIMPLE FITNESS. SIMPLE EATING. FAST RESULTS.Now there’s an easy-to-follow nutrition and fitness program that makes losing weight so simple, you can see results fast—up to 15 pounds in just 21 days!21 Day Fix takes all the guesswork out of weight loss. There’s no counting, no guessing, and no wondering. Just easy-to-follow portion control and one 30-minute workout per day. That’s all.In 21 days, you could get beach-ready for a vacation. Look drop-dead great at your upcoming reunion. Or jump-start a major weight-loss goal. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it works. So stop wasting time on diets that don’t get results. If you’re ready to get serious, 21 Day Fix can help you lose the weight.

Allow me to elaborate a bit. The fitness part of the program is one 30-minute workout DVD each day. They are different workouts each day. What I love about them is that they are drop sets, which is a format I’ve always liked. I, also loved that the trainer, Autumn Calabrese, shows you how to do each move before you do it during the rest period. She shows modifications to make it easier or harder, making the workouts something everyone can do.

And now the meal plan part. It’s amazing! I consider more of it a meal guide as it allows you to come up with your own meals following certain guidelines, making this doable for the pickiest of eaters. The picture below shows these little colored containers. Each colored container is a different type of food, one being fruits, one being vegetables, one protein and so on.

Based off your weight and activity level, you calculate your basic calorie needs for each day and follow the chart telling you how many of each colored container you can have each day. Don’t worry, the calculations are all in the book sent with the program. You then get to plan your meals to accomodate those containers without having to worry about counting calories all day.

OK, now back to my experience. While I waited for what felt like forever for my new purchase to arrive, I began googling meal ideas. Finally, it showed up on my doorstop!

I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get started but first I needed to meal plan. I’ll be honest when I say that I thought planning meals was a bit difficult, but mainly because I also have to take into account a husband and two kids, and make sure what I’m planning will be something they will eat as well. If you don’t mind repeating meals, you can make this super simple by eating the same meals throughout the week. Doing this meal planning, also had me meal prepping which made getting lunches ready each morning so much easier.

With my meals for the first week planned and prepped, I was ready to start the program. Feeling pumped about the program, I woke up early for a morning workout and felt great. The workouts were great and I didn’t feel too sore, leaving me with tons of energy for work.

Until after 3 days into the program, I woke up on the 4th morning so sore from working out hard the previous 3 days. I had never been so happy for Pilates Day. Don’t get me wrong, I like pilates but I could use a non-weight day.

I continued to follow the program and the meal guide throught the next 3 weeks. I had more energy, I felt great and most days I never felt hungry. At the end of the program, I lost 4 ½ pounds!!! That’s huge for me. Anything over ½ pound a week for me is usually a pretty deal, so losing 1 ½ pounds each week was amazing!

But what I loved more than the weight loss was learning portion control and the different types of food to incorporate into your each diet. Variety each day is key and will leaving you feeling full.

The verdict? I love it and will most likely do another round of the program later on after I’m done with half marathon training (which begins in July….eeek!!). This program is great for anyone but I feel especially helpful for those just starting their new healthy lifestyle. It will show with proper diet and exercise, you can do this. It just takes a little time and a little prep work.

Does it sound like something you want to try? It’s only 21 days to a healthier, new you! Click here to order the challenge pack or here for just the program.

If you’ve been a long-time reader of the blog, you know that I love running. You know that most of my workouts consist of running. And you probably also know that I really need to get some other form of workouts in, especially if I want to hit my weightloss goal.

Well, two of my friends are BeachBody coaches and I’m part of their fitness groups on Facebook. Lately, they have been taking about BeachBody’s newest program, the 21 Day Fix, and how wonderful the workouts and portion control cups are. They had me, someone who generally doesn’t like workout videos, to give it a try.

One of the things I loved was how people finished feeling like they got a great workout in just 30 minutes but they weren’t left unable to move. I don’t want to stop running, so I knew some of the more intense programs might not be the best fit for me right now. Maybe later, but just not right now.

There were two options available. The 21 Day Fix program and then the challenge pack for $60 The challenge pack came with the whole 21 Day Fix program plus a month of Shakeology for $140, which is you know anything about Shakeology then you know a one month supply of that is $129.99, so for an extra $10 I could get the whole 21 Day Fix program. SOLD!!! I figured that was a deal I couldn’t pass up, so I bit the bullet and bought it.

And yesterday, it arrived!

Last night , I started looking over everything and I’ll be starting this program soon so I’ll be spending the next few days doing a more extensive and thought-out meal plan.

I’m hoping this will kick start the final leg of my weight loss and have already thought about doing the program for a second round if it goes well the first time. My plan is to keep track and let all of you know how it’s going. Don’t hold me to it, but it’s my plan. LOL!

Have you tried any of the Beach Body programs? What did you think of them?